Chapter 827 We will do everything we can to support you!
This darkness came with overwhelming force.
Almost overnight, everything was destroyed.
Rational commentators unanimously stated, "Anyone who can rise to Wen Shengming's position must be corrupt."
In an instant, social media platforms were filled with condemnations of Wen Shengming.
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"How many people have joined forces to make such a big commotion?" Even Chen Ziyan, who was used to seeing all sorts of things, couldn't help but sigh.
Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I guess most film companies have already gotten involved, as a warning to Teacher Wen."
Chen Ziyan: "It's obviously fake. It happened twenty years ago. Why bring it up now? Why didn't you say it sooner or later?"
"Even without evidence, you still managed to find a witness, didn't you?" Lu Yanhe laughed sarcastically.
Chen Ziyan asked, "Are you going to get involved in this?"
"I won't get involved. If I do, it won't make this a hot topic."
Lu Yanhe was already well aware of the trolls on the internet. He had once followed a film critic and thought the critic wrote very well, offering insightful and incisive critiques. However, at that time, the critic's account wasn't popular (yes, it was him, not her), and had very few followers.
Later, I don't know when it started, but every film review he published suddenly became an evaluation of the film's themes and characters' logic from a female (victim) perspective.
Every single one.
His film reviews often spark controversy, and his online traffic is growing.
Lu Yanhe felt... well, not exactly disappointed, but rather that it was rather pointless.
Therefore, in this public opinion arena, Lu Yanhe never considered standing up to speak for Wen Shengming. First, his presence would have no positive effect whatsoever. Second, there was absolutely no solid evidence to support his claim; no matter how fierce the attacks were, it was just a passing storm that would eventually dissipate.
In comparison, Lu Yanhe now believes more in the power of "conspiracy theories" in the public sphere.
The "conspiracy theory" is that there is no positive response, but various "insiders," including some marketing accounts that usually claim to be entertainment industry people, say with great seriousness that Wen Shengming was suddenly targeted on such a large scale because he did something that offended the current interest groups in the film industry, so he was targeted by a group.
What exactly did they do?
Which interest groups were offended?
All of them were blurred.
The more this is the case, the more curious people become.
The reason for this ambiguity is twofold: firstly, to arouse everyone's doubts and stimulate discussion; and secondly, to warn those behind the scenes that if they continue, this side will not let it go unpunished.
While Lu Yanhe did not publicly endorse Wen Shengming, he did not conceal the fact that they were using marketing accounts to spread conspiracy theories.
It's clear that although he won't fight for Wen Shengming on social media, he will stand by Wen Shengming's side and support him.
The trailer for "Dingfeng No. 1" also arrived as scheduled, unaffected by any delays.
There have been numerous calls online to "boycott 'Dingfeng No. 1'".
In response, Longyan suggested that Wen Shengming should not be included during the publicity period.
Lu Yanhe stated directly that if Wen Shengming had to be absent because of this, he would not participate either.
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"He's getting more and more arrogant. Wen Shengming did something like this, which has led to a boycott of him by the entire industry. Now that 'Dingfeng No. 1' is about to be released, the film's promotion has been greatly affected. At this time, Lu Yanhe is threatening us without any explanation. Anyway, if 'Dingfeng No. 1' loses money, it won't be his money."
Mrs. Huang complained angrily.
She glared at Huang Zhongjing.
"If you hadn't compromised so much with Lu Yanhe—"
"Will he compromise?" Huang Zhongjing asked rhetorically.
Huang Tai was speechless for a moment, unable to respond.
Of course not.
Lu Yanhe had no reason to compromise with them.
"Even if 'The Wind Rises No. 1' loses all its money, it won't affect Lu Yanhe in the slightest. Do you dare to stop working with him from now on? Will we still make the third installment of 'Burning Fire'? Will we still rely on him for the overseas box office of 'Burning Fire'?" Huang Zhongjing retorted.
Huang Taiyi was speechless for a moment.
Huang Zhongjing added, "Why did Lu Yanhe dare to openly let everyone know that he supports Wen Shengming? Because he made it clear that he doesn't rely on the Chinese film industry for a living. Even if you ban him, it won't make a difference. The authorities still need him as a role model, and Chinese cinema still needs him as a flag bearer. How can you still not see the situation clearly?"
Mrs. Wong was speechless after being rebuked, but she was still unconvinced.
She pursed her lips.
"Don't be fooled by the current online calls for boycotts. The core audience of this film is still looking forward to it and is unaffected by Wen Shengming's scandals," Huang Zhongjing said. "There's already a voice on the internet speaking up for Wen Shengming. Do you think a few baseless accusations can really bring down a national-level actor like him? Those behind the scenes wouldn't dare to think that way. It's just that he's currently too powerful, so he's temporarily not responding and avoiding this storm. Those who are spending money to smear him can't keep their money burning every day."
Mrs. Huang: "The movie 'Dingfeng No. 1' should never have been made in the first place. There are so many projects that we can do in Longyan. It's not like only projects involving Lu Yanhe are profitable."
“It seems I was right to tell you to stay away from projects related to Lu Yanhe,” Huang Zhongjing said. “You’ve completely lost your mind.”
Mrs. Huang shouted angrily, "I just don't like him, so what? I've worked hard all my life, don't I even have this much right?"
Huang Zhongjing said, "Very good. Now go to the board of directors and repeat what you just said to them verbatim. You can see if you have that authority."
Mrs. Huang's expression changed drastically.
"What do you mean?"
“My point is simple: if you can’t see the situation clearly, let the board of directors show you what the current situation is,” Huang Zhongjing said. “The current situation is that you have no right to dislike Lu Yanhe, and neither do I. Even if you hate him to the point of bleeding, you have to swallow your anger and keep it to yourself so as not to scare him.”
Mrs. Wong: "..."
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On social media.
Aside from having his agent respond with "nonsense," Wen Shengming made no other comment.
However, the two girls who came forward to accuse Wen Shengming kept revealing details, telling stories, and talking about their psychological trauma over the years.
One short essay after another prompted Wen Shengming to step forward and respond.
Many people cheered for them.
Some of Wen Shengming's fans asked them to provide evidence, but their supporters said, "Sexual harassment is inherently difficult to prove!" and "You are condoning and protecting crimes!"
However, as Huang Zhongjing said.
The haters' battles require someone to foot the bill.
Money can't withstand burning through it.
This is why, often, when the person involved doesn't seem to respond, they only do so after several days. It's because they're clearly being targeted, so they let their money burn through first, until they can't afford to burn any more, before they can really get serious.
Five days after the incident, when the public interest in the matter had waned, Wen Shengming finally published a long article.
First, he outlined the timeline, and then he described his responses to the two girls.
deny.
Then, ask them why, after such an incident happened back then, they never raised any related accusations, but suddenly, twenty years later, they want him to prove his innocence.
At the end of the article, Wen Shengming wrote:
These past few days, I've racked my brains trying to find information from back then to prove I didn't do those things, but I can't find any evidence. In fact, how can I find it? How can I prove I didn't do something? I think the only option might be to report it to the police and let them investigate the truth. If they really were sexually harassed back then, whether it's through text messages, letters, chat logs, or police reports, even if there was a misunderstanding, at least there would be a record. I wonder if the two parties involved are willing to go with me to file a police report and cooperate with the police to find out all the information they can?
Wen Shengming's response brought the matter back into the public eye.
One of the women quickly responded, saying, "That's ridiculous! No evidence? There are crew members who can testify to what happened back then."
Wen Shengming replied directly: That's great. How about we invite this staff member to go to the police station together?
She replied: Are you threatening me? It's because I'm afraid of your power that I haven't dared to speak out or stand up to tell the truth for the past twenty years.
Wen Shengming: I said I was going to the police station, and you considered that a threat? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that I will openly bribe the police, or are you afraid that your lies will be exposed and shattered?
The woman didn't respond again. About twelve hours later, she posted another short essay, saying that she had heart palpitations and couldn't fall asleep. She had to take several sleeping pills to get a few hours of drowsy sleep. She was very scared and nervous. She regretted it. She was just an ordinary person and had no power to fight against Wen Shengming.
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"Yes, as long as she sues Wen Shengming, we will cover all the expenses for her, including hiring a lawyer, etc."
Chen Ziyan explained over the phone.
"Why help her deal with Wen Shengming? Heh, you've got it wrong. What a liar fears most is someone believing her lies. However, if believing her lies is the truth, forcing her to sue, does she dare to sue? Does she have any evidence to support her claim?"
Chen Ziyan hung up the phone, shook her head at Lu Qingzhen, and said, "Now we'll see if that woman will have the nerve to pretend to be dead."
Several organizations left comments in the comment section, expressing their willingness to help her find a lawyer, cover all expenses, and support her in pursuing the case to the end.
After that, Chen Ziyan directly bought a trending topic on social media to create an atmosphere where the entire internet supported the woman suing Wen Shengming.
In this situation, the woman remained silent for another twenty-four hours.
Her silence seemed particularly jarring at this moment.
Why?
Why did she disappear when so many people stood up to support and defend her?
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"We're in a bind, so we have no choice but to play dead," Chen Ziyan said.
That evening, Wen Shengming's agent hosted a dinner for Chen Ziyan, Lu Yanhe, and Lu Qingzhen to express gratitude for their recent assistance.
Wen Shengming and his wife Yuan Zixing together.
Wen Shengming's agent is Chen Keqiu.
He and Wen Shengming were about the same age, both nearing sixty.
It turns out that when Wen Shengming debuted, the concepts of celebrities and agents had not yet emerged in China.
Chen Keqiu was a stagehand on the film crew.
He was bullied and lost his job. Wen Shengming was also a newcomer at the time and couldn't stand up for him, but he asked him if he wanted to work with him in the future.
The so-called "working together" actually meant being Wen Shengming's assistant and having to do all sorts of work.
Chen Keqiu also enjoyed doing it.
Later, no matter which film studio Wen Shengming worked at or which company he signed with, Chen Keqiu stayed by his side.
As a result, Chen Keqiu became Wen Shengming's agent.
The friendship between the two was practically for a lifetime.
The biggest advantage of Chen Keqiu being Wen Shengming's agent is that he has complete trust in him and won't betray him. However, there are also disadvantages. He is not a professional agent by training and has always been by Wen Shengming's side. It can be said that when the Chinese entertainment industry entered a period of rapid commercial development, Wen Shengming already had a very high status, and those offensive and defensive tactics were no longer needed by him. Therefore, Chen Keqiu's "arsenal" was insufficient.
Chen Keqiu knew this too, and raised his glass and said, "In all these years, I have never encountered such a situation. Fortunately, Ziyan and Qingzhen, you are experienced and were able to quickly pull Teacher Wen out of this mess."
Chen Ziyan said, "Teacher Wen has lived an honest and upright life. How can he be slandered by these petty people? Yan He and we will never allow this to happen."
Yuan Zixing: "I really have to thank you. I was so anxious at home, but I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go in front of the camera and tell everyone that Teacher Wen is not that kind of person. Fortunately, Qingzhen stopped me. Otherwise, the situation might have become even more serious."
Lu Qingzhen said, "We grew up under attacks from all sorts of dirty tricks, so we know a little more about them. Their purpose is actually to warn Teacher Wen and prevent him from making the same suggestions again. So, they fabricated things out of thin air and didn't really want to put this rotten label on Teacher Wen's head. They just wanted to make Teacher Wen feel bad. In fact, even if we didn't respond this way, the truth would eventually come out. Our actions just made the truth come out faster."
"The current online opinion is that Professor Wen was retaliated against by an interest group within the industry for some incident," Lu Yanhe said. "Given this situation, they will be hesitant to act rashly and probably won't take any major actions in the future."
Wen Shengming picked up his wine glass.
Thank you.
Lu Yanhe: "Teacher Wen, you don't need to be so polite with me. I know that you spoke up for me and stood up for me many times back then."
Yuan Zixing said with a smile, "Ever since he filmed 'The Wind Rises' with you, he has paid more attention to you than to his own son."
Lu Yanhe: "When Teacher Wen finished filming, he told me that he would keep an eye on me, so I always did my best to be honest, proper and hardworking in filming."
Wen Shengming shook his head. "Slippery."
"I swear to God, every word I have said is true."
“An honest sly fox.” Wen Shengming smiled and pointed at Lu Yanhe. “Fortunately, this matter was resolved at this time, otherwise it would have really affected the release of the movie ‘Dingfeng No. 1’, which would have been terrible.”
Chen Keqiu said, "This incident has really had a big impact. There was a movie that was originally looking for Teacher Wen, but after this incident, they said in a very tactful way that they would temporarily look for someone else to avoid risks. Today they contacted me again, wanting to invite Teacher Wen back."
Chen Ziyan said, "That's how production companies are; there's nothing they can do about it."
"Yes, I understand, so I didn't say anything. But this matter is still a bit upsetting. Is Professor Wen really that untrustworthy? After all these years, everyone should know what kind of person Professor Wen is."
“They may not necessarily think that Teacher Wen really did anything wrong. They just heard that many film companies in the industry joined forces to retaliate against Teacher Wen, so they cut ties as soon as possible. The risks they considered were not just the risks of public opinion,” Lu Yanhe said. “After all, generally speaking, the movie has not yet started filming, and we are only in the stage of contacting actors. They would not be so eager to cut ties because of something without concrete evidence.”
Chen Keqiu: "Then... how come they came back today?"
Lu Yanhe asked Wen Shengming, "Teacher Wen, is something good going to happen to you later?"
Wen Shengming: "Just kidding, there's no good news. I just went through a whole bunch of troubles."
As a result, the next day, news spread throughout the industry.
Wen Shengming will serve as the next honorary president of the China Film Association.
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"This is an award for Professor Wen's efforts in bringing the Jose Film Festival to China."
Chen Ziyan could see it very clearly at a glance.
"It's finally here."
Lu Yanhe said, "That's great. With such an official endorsement, those messy things probably won't be able to cause any trouble."
“Now it’s the turn of those who are pulling the strings behind the scenes to be nervous.” Chen Ziyan sneered twice. “The honorary chairman may seem to have no real power, but the problem is, the China Film Association itself doesn’t have any real power either. But in reality, who would think that? In the end, whoever the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television trusts has the power.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Professor Wen is fully deserving of such a position. The entire Jose Film Festival was able to land smoothly thanks to his efforts."
"Your ultimate goal is still to bring the Jose Film Festival to China and hold it there?"
“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “We could not build such an international film festival with such international influence even if we spent ten or twenty years. It takes time to accumulate. Therefore, it would be the best thing if we could hold the Jose Film Festival entirely in China.”
Chen Ziyan nodded.
“Of course, we will definitely still need to build our own film festival, but this is not something that can be done overnight,” Lu Yanhe said. “Maybe when I’m in my seventies or eighties, I will be able to see such a film festival.”
Chen Ziyan: "You'll be the person honored on the anniversary."
"I walked shakily on the red carpet, leaning on my cane, and was treated like a mascot by the young people."
"You insult whoever you don't like; you've reached the age where you're being disrespectful to your elders."
“That’s right.” Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
Chen Ziyan smiled too.
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In June, Linghe Productions' film "Childhood is an Adventure in a Summer Night" was released on Children's Day.
The two main characters were selected through a nationwide audition.
There are no famous directors or well-known actors.
However, apart from this movie, all the other movies released that day were animated films, and all of them were animated films aimed at young children. In fact, during the pre-sale period, it relied on adult audiences (parents) to get more than 3 million yuan in pre-sale box office.
Children's Day is never a major movie release period.
Live-action children's films are even rarer.
It's not mainstream, at least.
Therefore, this movie is not well-received by the market.
Linghe himself wasn't very optimistic about the box office performance.
As a result, the film grossed 18 million yuan on its opening day.
On video platforms, many parents are sharing videos of their children watching the movie.
In fact, many adult viewers also loved this movie.
It's not a story for young children.
It tells the story of two children who go on an adventure in the mountains after a power outage.
It talks about growth, courage, and friendship.
Thanks to positive word-of-mouth, although the film's daily box office dropped to just over 3 million yuan after Children's Day, it maintained its screening schedule and, with no new films entering the market, slowly reaped the rewards. It even took the top spot at the daily box office on its fourth day of release.
Because other films had lower box office returns, it defied the trend and earned 4 million yuan.
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Linghe has entered a stage where it can produce, promote, and market normally without relying on Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe was especially happy to see that Linghe was able to produce such a film.
Because it's not a popular suspenseful crime or road comedy, nor is it a creative genre that Linghe is good at; it's a serious and ordinary childhood story.
Such a film is something others wouldn't dare to make, and it's very difficult to make. Linghe made it with a good balance, effectively controlled costs, chose the right release date, and did a good job of word-of-mouth promotion, achieving profitability through box office results.
Lu Yanhe did not participate in any part of the entire process.
He sent Chen Yin a message saying: Well done.
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Following "Childhood is an Adventure in a Summer Night", another foreign film, with Linghe handling the publicity and distribution, has been released.
It's a family comedy film from Thailand, starring Chae Na. With the help of Ling He's various schemes, it also grossed over 50 million at the box office.
success.
Continuous success.
Taking advantage of the movie's promotional period, Shi Huo secured two more brand endorsements for Cai Na, earning her tens of millions in endorsement fees.
Everything was in perfect order.
Caina's success in the Chinese market has inspired other Thai actors to consider signing with her and regaining popularity.
Two A-list actors in Thailand contacted Shi Huo.
After discussing it, Chen Ziyan and Lu Qingzhen rejected a female celebrity whose career path was similar to Cai Na's, and agreed to work with a male actor instead.
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While Cai Na wasn't as successful as Jiang Yuqian in Europe and America, among Thai actors, she is the most successful in pursuing an international career.
In China, her fame and popularity have reached a top-tier level thanks to her efforts over the past few years.
With her several works, she already had some popularity in Asia, and now she has stable exposure and continuous output, and even has two local endorsements in Japan.
“I told Kim Yeon-sook that I hope TVN can create a Korean drama in the future where Chae-na can play the female lead,” Chen Ziyan said with a smile. “I just don’t know if Chae-na will be able to adapt to Korean dramas. I feel that Chae-na’s style is completely different from that of Korean dramas.”
Lu Yanhe said, "I think so too."
Chen Ziyan said, "However, Cai Na's popularity in South Korea has never been able to rise, and I don't know why, even though she is very popular in Japan."
“They all like those refined, stunning beauties. Chae-na’s girl-next-door style, with its touch of rural charm and simplicity, isn’t really in line with the aesthetic of the Korean entertainment industry,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’ve noticed that the leading ladies in the recently popular Korean dramas basically don’t have that girl-next-door feel anymore.”
Chen Ziyan: "But if we don't build up Cai Na's popularity in South Korea, it will be difficult to achieve the route I planned for her. Oh well, there's nothing we can do if we really can't open up the South Korean market."
“It’s alright. When Cai Na’s starring role in ‘Squid Game 2’ airs, and considering she’s also acted in a few Hollywood movies, she’ll definitely be popular in the Korean entertainment industry after those shows come out,” Lu Yanhe said. “Everyone says that foreign monks are better at chanting sutras, but they really haven’t seen what Korea is like.”
Chen Ziyan: "Tsk tsk, that hits the nail on the head."
Lu Yanhe: "Look at Sister Yuqian, she's never been involved in the Korean entertainment industry, but now that she's in Korea, her popularity is off the charts, people are even chasing after her car."
“Jiang Yuqian’s image is exactly the type that Koreans like the most. Before she went to Hollywood to act, she was often regarded as a goddess by Koreans because of her looks,” Chen Ziyan said. “Back then, every time Jiang Yuqian went to Korea and walked the red carpet, she would definitely be on the trending topics in Korea.”
"Sister Yuqian is really... the kind of beauty that's absolutely stunning."
(End of this chapter)
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